This week marks the 2nd anniversary of my layoff.

When it first happened, I was stunned, of course, but I assumed my search for a new role would follow the path of my previous job searches. I'd submit some applications, have some interviews, and get an offer, all neatly packaged in a four month time span— well before my severance ran out.

Boy, was I wrong!

It began the same way, with me updating my resume and portfolio, and when they were ready, I started applying. My applications were well received and I landed several interviews.

But that's where any similarity to past job searches ends.

Some "highlights" of my experience include

• A design challenge where I was expected to redesign an entire workflow in ONE HOUR (I did, but then the lead engineer felt threatened) • Interviews where I was grilled for changing jobs (leaving me wondering if that would have happened if I was a GenZ?) • Multiple situations where several rounds in, the hiring managers told me they were leaving the company, ending my candidacy • One company where I was repeatedly told I was the candidate, that they had even stopped interviewing, only to ghost me

The frustrations, the self doubt, the ghosting, the daily rejections. It was almost unbearable.

I never used LinkedIn to look for jobs. Instead, I used smaller, offbeat job boards, so when I saw a post on Reddit about a new search tool, I was curious. The search itself was great. I found job matches I hadn't seen anywhere else, accurate ones that actually listened to my preferences. But the UX was...terrible.

So I made a suggestion—a small one at first. The site's owner implemented my change that day.

Then I made another, and another. Before I knew it, we were constantly slacking and working together to improve the tool. Soon, we formalized the company and rebranded to ZenSearch.

Now, I spend my time promoting ZenSearch, talking to users, adding companies (and jobs) to our database, and of course, designing new features. I've learned tons and am looking forward to continuing to add skills to my toolkit.

I've realized how much I love the energy of a startup and how fulfilled I feel providing a needed alternative to the behemoth search tools that don't care about job seekers.

In most ways, this is the best job I've had (hey, money isn't everything), and I'm super proud of what we've built, even if it isn't what I intended or expected.